General Hayat says no outside or military solution to Afghan problems

LONDON: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Zubair Hayat has said that solutions to Afghanistan’s problems lie within that country and there is no military solution to these problems, as outside formulas are unlikely to yield any positive results.

Addressing a gathering here organized by a group of British Pakistanis, which was also attended by senior military officers of the British armed forces and members of defence think-tanks, General Hayat spoke at length about various regional and international issues.

General Hayat said that instability and war in Afghanistan have brought great destruction inside Pakistan. He said the fact remains that the problem lies inside Afghanistan between two opposing forces “and therefore the solution lies inside Afghanistan”. Without naming or mentioning any country or the individual, General Hayat said that “you cannot blame a country, an individual or a country and an institution for the failures that are collective”.

General Hayat said that there are no military solutions to problems of Afghanistan and Pakistan will continue to work hard for peace in Afghanistan. “Pakistan has tried and will try its best to partner with all forces towards reconciliation between various factions so that there is peace and stability in Afghanistan”.

He added: “A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan but you cannot have a peaceful Afghanistan if you implant foreign powers which are not contiguous to Afghanistan or try and deploy a level of force which actually is counter to the requirements of reconciliation. Pakistan stands committed to trying to stabilise Afghanistan but we will play our role. We have cleared our area and we are in the process of building 900 posts alongside Afghanistan-Pakistan border, we are in the process of building a fence between Af-Pak border, we are constructing gates where there will be no entry without documents and identity will be proven either way. These steps are being taken so that no bad crossing takes place and we want others to partner with us on these accounts”.

Addressing the international community, General Hayat said that any help to Pakistan for its efforts is welcome but said trust is of utmost importance. “Trust us. You are most welcome to help us if you wish but help us the way we want you to help us.”

While highlighting Pakistan's efforts to eradicate terrorism and to stabilize peace in the region, General Zubair Hayat said that Pakistan has been fighting the world’s biggest and longest war against terrorism for decades, adding that people and the armed forces rendered unprecedented sacrifices to curb this menace. He said more than 200,000 Pakistani soldiers have been engaged in the war on terror.

While expressing solidarity with innocent Kashmiris and their peaceful struggle for freedom, he said that India is committing ceasefire violations and killing unarmed innocent Kashmiris along Line of Control (LoC) to divert the attention of international community from their peaceful struggle in occupied Kashmir. He added that the world cannot turn a blind eye to Kashmir issue where occupying forces are using pellet guns to stop innocent civilians from raising their voices against Indian atrocities.

He said repression in Indian occupied Kashmir has been unbearable. General Hayat said if the same level of force was used in any other part of the world there would be headlines and editorials written to highlight the atrocities but in the case of Kashmiris no consideration has been given to their human rights and their humanity. He said Indian forces have used a record number of pellet guns seriously affecting over 9,000 youth for life. He told the international community that Kashmir is the core issue between India and Pakistan and cannot be wished away or brushed under the carpet. He suggested that the way to resolving the issue of Kashmir lies through meaningful dialogue.

General Hayat said Britain and Pakistan have deep-rooted military ties and both countries enjoy cordial relations at many levels. He said Pakistan Army, with help from other institutions and the people of Pakistan, has turned the tide against militancy and terrorism and as a result, Pakistan is stable and has a better outlook than at any time before. He said the CPEC had brought record investment to Pakistan and Gwadar is seeing economic activity on an unexampled scale.

General Zubair Mahmood Hayat reached London after attending 2017 Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference in Victoria.